


Choice Of The Same

by arcanesupernova



Series: Always Have Been, Always Will Be - A Series of One-Shots [4]
Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Internal Monologuing, fortune teller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23170246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanesupernova/pseuds/arcanesupernova
Summary: There's a carnival, there's a fortune teller and there's Charlotte and there is Ted.What more do you need for wee bit of angst.
Relationships: Charlotte/Sam (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Series: Always Have Been, Always Will Be - A Series of One-Shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099445
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Choice Of The Same

Going had been Ted’s idea, but Charlotte showed up arm and arm with Sam to the Hatchetfield Carnival. She saw the twinge of pain when Ted spotted her but rather than deal with him, she steered Sam to a strongman display, keeping her eyes peeled for Ted as Sam slammed the hammer down with all his might. The bell at the top one out and he presented her with a stuffed cactus, much to her dismay as she eyed the giant stuffed cat hanging at the top of the display. Sam didn’t seem to pay any mind to her, dragging her along to a water gun game so he could flaunt his police training. They stopped at a food vendor and ordered, Charlotte getting a funnel cake and fresh-squeezed lemonade for herself and Sam ordering the footlong hotdog. They ate in silence as Charlotte scanned the area looking for Ted and Sam busied himself on his phone across the table.

She was having a lot more fun with Sam than she had expected, all things considered. For once, they were walking around hand in hand and going on rides together just like they had done when they were young and in love but her mind just kept drifting back to Ted. She just couldn’t stop herself. She was hoping when she turned down his invitation because Sam had already offered to take her that Ted just wouldn’t show up. Their arrangement was one she wasn’t particularly proud of but she still hated hurting Ted. He knew what he signed up for though and Charlotte had to remind herself every day that she wasn’t hurting anything more than Ted’s enormous pride.

Sam left her next to the Scrambler to go in search of a bathroom, insisting that he’d be back in a minute. Five minutes, ten minutes passed without him coming back and she wondered how pathetic she must look standing there, desperately clutching her stuffed cactus and looking around eagerly. It must have been pretty pathetic because, after fifteen minutes, Ted finally crawled out of the woodwork.

“Having a good time without me?” he asked bitterly, pulling out a cigarette.

“Oh, Ted, it’s not like that,” Charlotte reminded him with a whine. “Sam is my husband. I can’t turn him down to go out with you.”

“You know, I wouldn’t be so pissed off if you’d just been honest with me about it,” Ted said, flicking his cigarette. “The affair is with me, not him. You can actually be honest with me.”

She opened her mouth to respond but her phone ringing interrupted them. Sam’s face on the screen sent her into a mini panic, looking around desperately.

“H-Hello, Sam? Baby? Where are you?” she asked, earning a groan from beside her.

“Char, listen, I have to leave. The Captain just called me. McCowsky isn’t gonna make it in tonight and they want me to come in,” he told her but a soft giggle in the background told her his true intentions. She wanted to ask who was there but as they say, ignorance is bliss. She had already convinced herself it was just someone walking by him. Sam loves her, he came with her tonight, she told herself. He wouldn’t just leave her there to go hook up with someone else.

“O-Okay Sam, be safe S-Sam because I love you.” The line went dead before she’d even finished. She took a steadying breath, not looking at Ted because she knew what’d she’d find. When she’d tucked her phone back into her purse, Ted wormed his hand into hers and despite the crowd of people that would recognize them, she let it stay. Sometimes, Ted could be sweet even if he was a monstrous dick.

She let him lead her to the line of the Scrambler and climbed into the ride. He put his arm around her as the ride started and for once she didn’t pull away. She snuggled in closer as the spin began, particularly enjoying when the ride slid her into him even harder. The scent of his cheap cologne brought a certain sense of calm down around her and by the time the ride was over, it was her that was seeking out his hand as they walked around.

“Look, there’s a fortune teller,” Ted snickered, pointing to a large tent tucked away at the back. “I thought people were smart enough to not fall for that.”

“Oh, I don’t know Ted,” Charlotte admitted, “I think it’d be fun.”

“You wanna go in?” he asked, eyebrow raised. “I don’t care either way. One thing though, we have to go in separately. Otherwise the old broad is just going to comment on our relationship.”

“Alright Ted, you wait here,” Charlotte beamed, pulling her wallet out and heading for the tent. She paid the five-dollar admission fee and was shown into the tent. It reeked of incense and patchouli and was decorated like every fortune teller tent she’d seen on TV.

“Welcome, Charlotte,” a mysterious voice called out to her. “You come seeking guidance, yes?”

“H-How did you know my name?” Charlotte asked, fidgeting with her skirt as she sat down.

“I know a lot about you, my dear Charlotte,” the woman said, fiddling with the crystals on the table in front of her. “You live a miserable life, but there is something that keeps you going, isn’t there?”

“I-I don’t know, I guess,” Charlotte admitted, picking at her hem.

“You don’t know how to feel about that part of your life, I sense,” the fortune-teller announced. She looked to the ceiling and closed her eyes. “And it’s getting harder every day to ignore your feelings.”

“I-I should go-”

“Wait!” she insisted, pulling her crystal ball closer to her. “Wouldn’t you like to know what the future holds for you?” Charlotte stopped in her tracks and turned back to the woman.

“O-Okay.”

“I see a uniform,” she said, her hands gliding delicately around the ethereal orb, “The other figure comes through more clearly. Dark hair and a certain sense of… self-deprivation swirl around this figure. One thinks it’s doing you a kindness, but the other wishes it could do more for you. Both have an aura of affection, but one is stronger than the other.”

Sam, Charlotte thought immediately. It had to be Sam. Ted was only ever there to get in her pants, Sam was the one providing for her, taking care of her.

“I see you in the future, sitting at a desk and grinning across the room to a figure radiating pure emotion,” the fortune-teller predicted.

“That can’t be right, Sam never comes to the office to see me,” Charlotte countered.

“Then perhaps he is not who the vision is about,” the woman replied sharply.

“Oh.”

“The orb has gone dark, dear Charlotte,” she announced, “Do you have any questions?”

“N-No, it was quite clear. Thank you.”

* * *

“How’d it go? Got any brilliant money-making schemes formulated?” he asked when she finally found him. A small crowd had formed outside the tent, apparently in line for the museum of macabre next door.

“Oh, I think you were right about those fortune tellers, Ted,” Charlotte giggled. “I’m pretty sure she was trying to tell me that you were in love with me.”

Ted snorted and took her hand and said nothing. They wandered around the fair for a while but Charlotte’s head was miles away. The words of the fortune-teller were ringing in her mind and she was becoming hyper-aware of all the little things that Ted did for her, from holding the door when Sam wouldn’t have bothered waiting (“Come on Charlotte, you can open a damn door can’t you?”) or offering to win her the large stuffed cat simply because he knew she’d want it.

When they finally made their way to the parking lot, Ted asked if she wanted to go back to his place. She nodded without a thought, climbing into the passenger seat. The ride was quiet but Charlotte was brimming with excitement. When they finally parked, Charlotte was quick to get things moving. Blame it on the words of the fortune-teller or simply the kindness that Ted had extended to her but it wasn’t the first time they started in the car and just barely made it to Ted’s bed with their clothes on.

“Man, I need to take you to fortune-tellers more often,” Ted remarked as he lit a cigarette next to her.

“Oh, Ted,” she grinned, batting playfully at his chest. “I had a lot of fun with you tonight.”

“Yeah, it was pretty sweet, I guess,” he shrugged, flicking his cigarette. “Wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun without you.”

“Ted, can I ask you something?” Charlotte asked suddenly, sitting up and looking down at him. He adjusted on the bed to face her, his eyebrow raised at her.

“Sure, Char, what’s up?”

“Are you in love with me?”

“Are you still stuck on what that woman told you?” he snorted, rolling back onto his back. “I like spending time with you. It usually leads to me getting you into my bed and that just can’t be beaten.”

“You could be with whoever you wanted, Ted,” Charlotte reminded him flatly. “But I haven’t even seen you with anyone else since all this… started.”

“I, uh, went home with some girl from a bar last month,” Ted told her defensively, “That weekend you and Sam went to see his parents? Yeah, I took home this chick from the bar. Huge tits, by the way. Just fantastic.”

“Oh, okay Ted,” Charlotte relented, mournfully. “I guess… I guess I just thought-”

“Do you love me or something?” Ted asked before a wide grin spread across his face. “I couldn’t blame you if you did, I’m pretty awesome.”

Charlotte was quiet for a moment, considering her feelings for Ted for what felt like the thousandth time. She loved spending time with Ted. She loved how Ted made her feel but did she love Ted? The office asshole who first took her home after finding her crying on a park bench after she’d seen Sam with the barista heading into the Starlight Theater?

“No, I love Sam,” she said slowly, trying her best to turn the clusterfuck of emotions she felt when she looked at Ted into words. “I love… being around you but I love my husband.” It came out like a mantra, like the constant reminder it truly was to block her true feelings.

“You know you can love more than one person at once, right?” Ted asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Well, I mean, of course,” Charlotte admitted. “But that wouldn’t be fair to Sam if I loved you too. He deserves all of my love.”

“He doesn’t deserve a damn bit of it. I’ve seen how he treats you.”

“Oh, Ted, please don’t start,” Charlotte begged softly.

“Alright, fine,” he conceded. He rolled over to move the ashtray back to his nightstand and turn out the light before snaking his hands under the blanket to pull her over to him. “Come on, we’ve got work tomorrow. Let’s just go to bed.”

Charlotte let him, her heart racing at his embrace. He nuzzled into her hair, delivering kisses all over her shoulders. She laid awake long after his kisses ended and his breathing steadied. She thought about the overwhelming comfort she found in his arms, how easy it was to just lay there in his arms without worrying about her fidgeting waking him up. He draped his leg around her, clutching her tighter yet as soft snores vibrated her hair.

“I lied,” Ted mumbled to someone who wasn’t there. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard him talking in his sleep and she just grinned and braced herself for whatever wild adventure his mind had taken him on. “I don’t think I could live without her.”

Charlotte froze. “What, Ted?” she whispered, nudging him softly.

“Ch-Charlotte, I lied to her,” he mumbled, sounding more emotional than she’d ever heard.

“Well, Ted, what did you lie about?” Charlotte asked softly, turning over to face him.

“I-I love you, Charlotte,” he lamented. Had his eyes been opened, she would have believed him, but she just told herself he was referring to some other Charlotte, maybe there was one that worked in their building.

“I’m sure you do, Ted, and I’m sure she loves you too.”

Ted’s eyes shot open, a look of fear coursing through them. “Wh-Who are you talking to?” he asked, sitting up to look around the dark room as if he'd find someone sitting on her side of the bed.

“I was talking to you, silly,” she giggled, “You were talking in your sleep.”

“Oh, well. Dammit, woman, just go to sleep,” Ted demanded, pulling Charlotte onto his chest.

With the sound of his breathing as a lullaby, she was finally able to drift off. She woke up before him, gently removing herself from the tangle of his embrace and getting dressed. She planted a kiss on his cheek and watched him sleep for a moment, taking note of how much younger he looked when he slept. She slipped out, heading for the bus stop.

Even if she couldn’t reconcile it to herself, Charlotte loved Ted. It was never going to be the same way she loved Sam, but maybe that wasn’t so bad.


End file.
